by Alexa Davis
"Where are you?" he asked.
"Home," I said and then gave him the address. "Tell Fred to call me when you get here, so I can verify it's you."
"Brooke, what's going on?" he said in a voice that radiated concern.
"I can't tell you over the phone, just get here, please?" I said as I looked over at the table where the photos of Lydia lay spread out with the warning laying on top.
"I'm on my way," he said without asking any more questions. "I'll be there in ten minutes."
"Be careful, Dax," I said softly as he disconnected.
CHAPTER FIFTY-NINE
Dax
I quickly drove to the address Brooke had given me and walked into the lobby. "Are you Fred?" I asked the man behind the desk.
"Indeed, I am," he said with a smile. "How may I help you?"
"Fred, I need you to call up to Brooke Raines's apartment and tell her that Dax Malone is here," I said as I pulled out my wallet and handed the man my ID. Brooke had said she needed him to verify that it was me and, not knowing what was going on, I simply followed her directions.
"Oh, I don't need an ID to call and let a resident know they have a guest," he said as he picked up the phone and punched in the number.
"She said she wanted you to verify that it's actually me," I said seriously. Fred's smile faded as he took my ID and studied it as he waited for Brooke to pick up the phone.
"Ms. Raines? I have a Mr. Malone down here for you," Fred said. "Yes, I have. Yes, it's him. Okay, very well. I will." He set the phone down and looked at me. "She said to send you up, but that you need to call her when you get to her floor. Sir, is everything all right?"
"I hope so, Fred." I took my ID back from the man and strode across the lobby to the elevator, muttering under my breath, "I sure as hell hope so."
It didn't take long to get to Brooke's floor and, as she requested, I dialed her number and waited for her to pick up. When she didn't, I quickly walked down the hall to her door and pounded on it.
"Brooke! Brooke! Open up!" I demanded. "It's Dax!"
A few moments later, I heard the lock click and the door cracked open a little before she swung it all the way open and motioned me in.
"You know that cracking the door is not the best way to protect yourself, don't you?" I said with a wry grin.
"Shut up, I knew it was you," she grumbled with a small smile.
"Why didn't you answer your phone? I called like you asked," I said.
"I forgot to take it with me when I went to change my clothes," she said. "And, I couldn't grab it in time."
"Why change? You look great."
"I wasn't wearing any clothes, and I thought that might present a problem considering..." she trailed off.
"Indeed," I grinned. "Not like I can't work past the layers and address the problem now."
"Dax, be serious," she said. "We have a problem. A real problem."
"Is that what all this cloak and dagger stuff is about?" I asked as I looked around. Brooke's apartment was warm and inviting, much like the woman herself.
"Yes, do you want some coffee?" she offered.
"Nah, I'm good for now," I replied. "Tell me what's going on."
"Dax, I got an envelope full of pictures of Lydia today," she said as she walked over to the table and grabbed the stack of papers off of it. "They were all completely average, everyday shots of her doing average, everyday things."
"Then why the freak out?"
"Because one photo was not like the others," she said as she handed the photo to me.
It was a shot of Lydia and I having lunch at LID, and I felt a jolt of pain as I looked at her face. It was the day she had told me about landing a contract that was going to make the firm solid. She'd told me that she'd been working on a deal for years and that she'd finally secured the contracts necessary to make it happen. The money she would earn from this deal would have given her small firm a solid financial foundation, and she wouldn't have to do any more of the shady hustling that she'd done to ensure her survival. She'd been trying to break the news to me that she wouldn't be handling any more of my business, and while I'd been pissed, I'd understood that she needed to move on in order to be successful.
I'd hoped that maybe this might have meant we could make a go of it personally, but Lydia had quickly and kindly shot that idea down. She told me she'd met someone and that they were moving in together. This picture was the moment she told me I'd always be special to her, but that I needed to move forward and find someone who could really care for me. She was scolding me about all the one-night stands with the club dancers and laughing when I acted surprised that she knew. I had thought I had kept it quiet.
"Yeah, I remember that day," I nodded. "It was a tough one, that's for sure, but I was happy for her."
"Oh really?" Brooke said as she flipped the photo over and revealed the message on the back.
"What the fuck?" I shouted. "What does this mean?"
"I don't know, that's why I'm asking you," she said stepping back.
"You can't possibly think that I wrote this!" I said, trying to maintain my calm outward appearance as I felt the heat of rage and anger boiling under the surface. Someone had executed Lydia because I'd cared about her and now they were after Brooke.
"I don't know what to think anymore, Dax," she sighed. "This whole case has gotten so messed up so fast. And you haven't been entirely honest with me about what's gone on. So what am I supposed to think?"
"I'm not lying to you, Brooke!" I shouted. She backed up a little and I immediately checked myself and calmed down. "Look, I've told you the truth about my business. I've told you the truth about Lydia. I don't know what more I can say to get you to believe me."
"Dax, I do believe you," she said. "I believe that you didn't kill Lydia, but what I can't figure out is why she was targeted in the first place. Was it a drug deal? Was it jealousy? Was it something else that I don't know about? Every time we talk, something new comes out and I'm starting to get worried that all of these little unknowns are going to be the thing that gets you convicted of a murder you didn't commit!"
"Brooke," I said softly as I moved toward her and lifted a hand to stroke her cheek. "I'm trying to tell you everything I know so that I can help you figure this out. I'm not hiding anything from you."
She leaned into my hand, closing her eyes and pressing her cheek against my fingers. I reached out and wrapped my arm around her waist and pulled her tightly against my chest. She wrapped her arms around my waist and leaned against me as we stood there just holding each other in silence.
"I'm not going to let anything happen to you," I whispered.
"Don't say things you can't guarantee," she said softly.
"Oh, I can guarantee it," I said as I wrapped both arms around her tightly and kissed the top of her head. "I can absolutely guarantee that I won't let anything happen to you."
I stepped back slightly and slipped my fingers under her chin so I could tip her face up to look at me. Her blue eyes were full of fear and trepidation and all I wanted to do was take it away. I leaned down and pressed my lips to hers and felt her immediately respond. She was warm and soft, and what I needed right now was to hold her in my arms and make all of this go away.
The kiss intensified as our need for each other grew stronger, and she gripped my back with her fingers as she tangled her tongue with mine. I could feel her desire and I knew if we went any further, I wasn't going to be able to control my own.
"Brooke," I moaned into her lips. "Stop..."
"Shhh," she said as she grabbed the hem of my shirt and pulled it up, lifting my arms away from her body as she pulled it over my head. Her lips traced a path of fire across my chest as she tossed the shirt aside and ran her fingers down my sides. I shivered at her touch and tried to stop her, but she was insistent as she undid my pants and pulled them down.
"Brooke..." I moaned as she brought her hand to her mouth and licked her palm before wrapping her fingers around my rock hard
erection and stroking it. I groaned, unable to protest again.
"I need to," she whispered. "Let me."
She sunk to her knees and looked up at me as she pulled her shirt off and sat half naked at my feet. The image of this powerful woman kneeling for me was almost more than I could bear. I wanted to pull her up off of her knees and take her to the bedroom, but she read my thoughts and shook her head.
"No, don't," she whispered as she leaned forward and ran her tongue up the length of my now aching shaft. The sensation forced a groan from my lips and I reached down and buried my fingers in her hair, pulling it up away from her face as she sat before me, making my cock wet and slippery.
When she'd teased me enough to satisfy her, she leaned forward and took just the tip between her lips and began sucking and licking in a way that drove one continuous moan from deep inside me out of my mouth. She moved lower as she took more and more into her mouth and I fought to maintain control.
When she turned her eyes upward and looked at me, I groaned and felt the blood surging away from my brain. I was afraid I was going to pass out if she continued her ministrations.
"Brooke, Brooke, Brooke," I exhaled, trying not to lose control. Her eyes had a questioning look in them as she continued sliding lower and lower until I felt the tip hit the back of her throat and then I let out a low deep growl as I gripped her hair tightly and began pumping my hips slowly. I couldn't stop. The feeling of her lips wrapped tightly around my shaft drove me to the edge, but it was the knowing grin and one raised eyebrow that drove me over the edge. For a moment, I lost control and thrust my hips forward as I felt the surge of release rush through my body. She held me in her mouth as I let go and felt the orgasm overtake me.
I felt the heat of desire leaving my body as I came back to her, and I looked down to see her still kneeling in front of me. She had pulled back and was gently cradling the tip of my shaft between her lips as she watched me return to earth. She pulled back and let it go as she smiled up at me.
"Better now?" she asked.
"What the hell was that?" I exhaled.
"I don't know," she shrugged. "I've never done that before, but something made me want to try."
"You've never done that before?" I said. "I don't believe it."
"Nope, never," she shook her head as I reached down and lifted her off of the floor, electing a grimace as she tried to stand on legs that had fallen asleep.
"Lady, you're a natural born talent," I said as I pulled her to me and kissed her deeply. I knew in that moment that there wasn't anything I wouldn't do to keep this woman safe.
"Well, thanks," she grinned. "I'm glad to know I can do something right, for a change."
"Brooke," I said seriously as I looked down into her beautiful blue eyes. "You do a lot of things right. Don't ever doubt that for a minute."
She nodded and then rested her cheek against my chest as she wrapped her arms around my waist. I held her for a moment before she said, "Uh oh, isn't this what got us in trouble in the first place?"
I laughed lightly as I kissed her head.
#
Once we were dressed again, we sat down at the table and talked about what we needed to do to flush out Lydia's killer. Brooke said she wanted to do a little investigating, but I nixed that immediately. I didn't want her out there alone, looking for a killer who had threatened to make her his next victim.
"Don't be such a worrier," she told me as she sipped her coffee. "I mean, bad things happen all the time. You can't put me in a box and wrap me in tissue paper."
"That's a dumb analogy," I said as I chewed the last of the bread and cheese that Brooke had brought out as part of an afternoon spread. "You're not china, I know that, but then, no one goes out looking to actively destroy china. It generally sits in a box until it's needed."
"My point exactly," she said. "I'm not going to be packed away in a box until I'm needed. I want to be working on this case and figuring out how to get this killer behind bars!"
"Brooke, need I remind you that you are a lawyer, not a super detective?" I asked.
"No, you do not, Mr. Malone," she said as she got up and began to clear away the dishes.
"Then, let the police do the detective work and you do the legal work when we're ready to go to court," I said.
"Dax, does it make any sense to you why someone would threaten me?" she turned the conversation back toward the case.
"Not really, why?"
"It just seems weird that someone would specifically target your lawyers, doesn't it?" she asked.
"Maybe," I shrugged.
"It seems pretty personal," she mused as she put the plates in the sink. "They killed Lydia and now they're saying I'm next."
"But we don't know why they killed Lydia," I said.
"That's true, but we can start to narrow it down," she said.
"How do you suggest we do that?" I asked. "I don't want you getting involved in the investigation, Brooke."
"Oh hush," she smiled. "I think we've determined that I'm a big girl who can take care of herself."
"Indeed," I grinned. "But only if you're going to give the killer a stellar blow job, and I'm not sure I'd be on board with that."
"Not even in the interests of justice, Mr. Malone?" she grinned back at me.
"Nope, not even in the interests of justice." I shook my head.
"Jealous, are you?"
"Oh yes," I nodded. "Oh yes, indeed, I am."
CHAPTER SIXTY
Brooke
"What about Beck?" I asked as Dax brought the last of the dishes into the kitchen and set them in the sink. "Where is he?"
"I have no idea," he said as his shoulders sank a little. I could tell he was far more worried than he was letting on, but I also knew that sometimes in order to remain hopeful, a person had to shove worry to the side. For this reason, I didn't want to tell him about the phone call I'd received. If I told him, he'd get even more protective than he already was and I was afraid that if he did, then I wouldn’t be able to do my job well enough to keep him out of prison.
"Have you talked to his friends?" I said, steering my thoughts back to the issue of Beck's disappearance.
"He doesn't have any friends aside from me and Riza," Dax said. "He's a loner and a junkie."
"Where does he get his drugs?" I asked.
"That's what we've never been able to figure out," he replied. "I've had Ri following him for a long time, but she can't figure out where he hooks up with his connection."
"That's weird, it seems like that would be something easy to figure out," I mused.
"Don't go getting any ideas," he warned as he pulled me to him and ran his fingers through my hair. I closed my eyes and enjoyed the feeling for a few moments before pulling back and reminding him that we had business to do.
"Dax, we need to figure out where Beck is before the killer does," I said.
"Don't remind me," he sighed. "I've got people out looking for him all over the city, but I have to be careful not to let word get out too far."
"Who would want to kill Lydia?" I said knowing that I'd started to sound like a broken record. "Wait, you said she had a new love interest, right?"
"Yeah, why?"
"Well, Captain Obvious, who was he? Maybe he's got information we could use," I teased.
"Very funny, I have no idea who she was seeing," he admitted. "She was pretty tight lipped about it."
"That's weird," I murmured thinking that I needed to ask Jordie and Roger if they'd heard any rumors about Lydia floating around the places they hung out.
"Brooke, I need to get back to the club," he said. "I've got business to take care of this evening. The police cleared us in the OD case, so we're opening as usual tonight for the weekly EDM DJ contest."
"Sounds like a blast," I said as I moved out of his arms and back toward the table.
"Aw, c'mon, it's fun!" he laughed. "You sound like my grandmother or something."
"Are you accusing me of being old?" I faked
an indignant look and that made him laugh harder.
"No, I'm just saying, you should come by the club and check it out some night," he said.
"Alright, well, let me get back to the office and consult with the guys about how we're going to handle the case, and then I'll drop by the club," I said. "I want to see what you do for a living."
Dax shot me a "get real" look and then laughed as he grabbed me and kissed me deeply before heading toward the door.
"Be careful, Brooke," he said seriously.
"Yeah, yeah, yeah, I'll be fine," I laughed and waved him off. "I'll see you later tonight."
#
When I got back to the office, I found Jordie at his desk, but no sign of Roger.
"Have you seen Roger this afternoon?" I asked as I moved a pile of papers off the one other chair in Jordie's office and sat down.
"No, come to think of it, I haven't heard from him since last night," Jordie replied. "Why? What's going on?"
"He said he was heading over to the marina to check things out," I said making a mental note to call the marina after we were through talking. "What have you got on Lydia?"
"Nothing earth shattering," he said. "She had just completed a deal that would have given her firm the backing it needed to move it into the realm of a legitimate law firm, so it looks like she was shedding her less savory clients at the time of her murder."
"That's interesting," I said not wanting to give away what I already knew. "Who were her clients? Besides Malone."
"It looks like she defended a few small time dealers on the Northside, but nothing that suggests she was in bed with the big players," Jordie sad. "Brooke, none of this makes any sense."
"I know, right?" I replied. "It's like someone wanted people to think that she was killed because of business, but then the business dealings don't seem to warrant that kind of violence or retaliation."
"Yeah, it's weird," he said. And then as an afterthought, he added, "Oh, I found the contract work that you were talking about."
"You did? Where?"
"It was in Roger's office in a stack of other contracts," he said. I didn't say anything about how he'd violated our agreement about none of us digging through the others' papers. "It looks like a standard contract drawn up at Lydia's request. Nothing fishy about it. She needed some outside legal work done and Roger did it."